From the answers I've received I'm not going to tinker with the spring. I was just thinking that in the "old days" before powered garage door openers became common, that the spring was there so that a person could open/close the door using only human power. With a half to two-thirds horsepower garage door opener it seemed feasible to me that the spring MIGHT not still be necessary, unless you lost the use of the door opener. Thanks for the reply and I think I'll put this horse idea out to pasture. I was really just wondering if anyone had tried using a door opener without the door spring. Since the door opener instruction book wants the door to balance at about waist high, without the door opener hooked up, I see that you HAVE to have that spring.